CKLN under threat

Brampton residents might not be able to tune in to CKLN 88.1 FM for much longer.

The campus radio station has come under threat because another station has applied to move to their frequency, according to an e-mail sent out by CKLN’s board of directors.

Erin Community Radio has applied to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to switch frequencies to improve its broadcast and avoid another station taking over its current frequency.

“We’re just wanting to survive,” said Jay Mowat, general manager of the Erin, Ont. radio station.

CKLN alleges that if the Erin radio station switches to the same frequency, listeners in Brampton, Ont., might not be able to listen to CKLN. The board of directors asked supporters to submit interventions to the CRTC by Mar. 5, when comments closed. According to the CRTC, a decision will take a few weeks to a few months.

“[Erin] made adjustments to try to satisfy us, we’re still concerned it won’t be enough,” said CKLN’s secretary, Andrew Lehrer.

But Mowat said there’s no threat to CKLN’s reception in Brampton.

“Lehrer seems to think this will effect service in Brampton, I’m under the impression it won’t,” said Mowat, who opted to use a less intrusive transmitter.

“It’s something that we really can’t afford,” said Mowat. The volunteer driven not-for-profit station will spend $25,000 on the entire project, if approved. Mowat said less than half of the town can listen to the station.

CKLN doesn’t know how many Brampton listeners it has, but Lehrer said there have been listeners historically.

“Russell Peters, for instance, the comedian, he grew up in Brampton and on an interview with CBC a couple years ago, he talked about how every Saturday he listened to CKLN,” said Lehrer.